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Showing posts from January, 2016

3 Weeks of Wine, Food, and Travel

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It's odd to say that the last three weeks have almost been "normal" ... wine tasting, enjoying great food, great friends, and a little bit of travel. Although it might get stressful and there are some downsides, life overall is pretty darn good and I know I'm a lucky person to live it. I did a fabulous wine tasting with Etude in preparation for Masters and Makers @ Meritage in February. There was a flight down to Newport Beach for our annual conference at the Balboa Bay Resort (and stayed in their newly renovated guestrooms). So much fun, great food, and great wine was had ... in addition I learned a lot about some new things coming in 2016 that I'm looking forward to learning more about them, and sharing about them in the coming weeks and months. There was also food closer to home at Lucille's in Rocklin, the Boxing Donkey in Roseville, and both Siena (for Napa Valley Restaurant Week ) and Crush Ultra Lounge at The Meritage in Napa. Photos fo

Snow Country and Wine Country for the Holidays

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I celebrated Christmas at the Bradley Lodge with good food and good wine. From fried chicken to Cioppino and prime rib, we enjoyed the food with the wine, and ... 15+ inches of snow. There was also a day of skiing at Bear Valley , a few friendly games of Pinochle and walks along snow covered streets. On our way back to Sacramento we stopped in Roseville to visit with my cousins, then enjoy a fabulous salmon dinner (with more wine) at a friend's house. During dinner we decided we needed something to do the next day and decided on a trip to Lodi for wine tasting. LangeTwins and Oak Farm did not disappoint with their fabulous wines and friendly hospitality. For New Year's I headed to Napa to celebrate with 450+ of my closest friends at The Meritage. I started out 2016 right with a few days of wine tasting. Napa is always beautiful and the winter is a little less crowded, meaning more personalized service, less traffic, and still great wines. There was a stop at Rutherford